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	<b>General</b>
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	<h1>:: Quick Start ::</h1>
	

		<i>How to make your apps look better using the JGoodies Looks</i>

     		<p>
		The following describes how to start effectively with the JGoodies Looks.
		For each step we have listed the estimated migration costs.


		<h2>1) Integrate the JGoodies L&amp;Fs (< 1 day)</h2> 

     		This is a very effective step and easy to do with
     		about 5 lines of code. Just choose 
     		your preferred JGoodies look&amp;feel and set it in the <tt>UIManager</tt>,
     		see <a href="guide/lookandtheme.html">here</a>. 

		<P>  
     		As a result of this step your application will look better.

  
		<h2>2) Use an Appropriate Icon Set (1-4 days)</h2>

     		Icons have a significant effect on the function 
     		and elegance of your applications. The choice of
     		an appropriate icon set depends on many factors,
     		among others: your platform support strategy.
     
		<p>
     		If you aim to provide high-fidelity Windows support plus 
     		good support on Linux, Solaris, and Mac, I recommend 
     		to consider using the icon set from 
     		<a href="http://www.eclipse.org/">eclipse.org</a>.
     		This icon set won't alienate Windows users, is relatively 
     		large and portable, and quite easy to extend by developers.
     		If you require larger icons, the icon set by Dean S.
     		Jones may be your choice. From my perspective, the icons
     		provided by Sun's HIG group don't work well on Windows 
     		and Mac and do conflict with many popular desktop colors.


		<h2>3) Remove Obsolete Decorations :: Use Less Ink (1-5 days)</h2>

     		Remove obsolete and duplicate borders and separators.
     		Check every line in your panels and ask yourself 
     		whether it adds information or blurs your content.
     		Very often you can replace a border or separator
     		with white space.
     
		<p>
     		The JGoodies Looks contain ClearLook, an add-on 
     		that can help you find visual clutter.
		The clutter often stems from wrapping multiple decorated components,
		for example a JScrollPane in a JSplitPane.
    		Switch on the ClearLook debug mode and look 
     		what it has marked with colored decorations.
     		You may consider these decorations as obsolete.
     
		<p>
     		As a result users can more quickly and easily 
     		comprehend your panels and find relevant information.
     
     
		<h2>You're Done</h2>
		
		If you have completed these steps your application should look significantly better.
     		Congratulations! If you want to further improve the appearance
		and consistency of your applications check out the free
		<a href="http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/forms/">JGoodies Forms</a>.


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      (c) 2007 JGoodies
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